Due to the uncommon amount of rain we have been experiencing lately, watering your garden may not be at the top of your list. However, because of the dangers associated with contaminants and flood waters, many have turned to in home water softening systems in order to ensure that their drinking water is safe. But what happens when the rain stops? If you plan on investing in a water softening system in the near future, you may be wondering if that system is safe to use on your garden as well.

While many gardening experts would normally tell you to shy away from using soft water to maintain your garden, the truth is that there are options out there that allow you to obtain all of the benefits of soft water without any of the harmful chemicals or minerals that could potentially destroy your garden.

The reasons many cite for not using soft water is the high levels of sodium caused by salt that is usually associated with these systems. Because many plants are intolerant to high amounts of salt, their ability to determine the amount of water they have taken in becomes imbalanced. As a result, these plants essentially think they are taking in more water than they actually are and eventually die. In addition, the high amounts of salt build up in the soil and hinder the ability of new plants to grow.

Fortunately, salt-less water softening systems are available. Rather than using salt, many of these systems use a form of kinetic energy in order to reduce water hardness, remove scale-causing minerals, iron, and odor-causing impurities. According to the website of American Water, the lack of salt in these systems make them safe to use in your garden and provide you with the same benefits of a traditional water softening system.